Insulation for refrigerator-cars and the like



UNITED STATES. PATENT. err-ice;

JOHN F. oeom'von, or CHICAGO, iL rNoIs, ASSIG-NOR T 0 WILLIAM H. M nna,or

GI-IAZY, NEW Your.

INSIJ'LATION FOR REFRIGERATOR-GARS AND" Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 20, 1916. Serial No. 137,962.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCONNOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Insulations forBefrigerator-Cars and the like, of which the following is a full, clear,concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in insulation for refrigeratorcars and the like. 7

The object of the invention is to provide an eilicient insulation forrefrigerator car doors and other similar uses and which is composed of aminimum number of parts; which may be easily applied; and which producesa wide surface bearing between the adjacent members to be sealed ascontradistinguished from a line of contact.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is ahorizontal sectional view of portions of a refrigerator car and doors,showing the improved insulation applied thereto, the doors being inclosed position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of one'of themembers provided with the insulation and showing the latterin normal oruncompressed condition. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, butillustrating the position of the parts under compression. And Fig. 4 isan elevational view of one of the members provided with the insulation,part of the fabric being cut away to illustrate interior construction.

Insaid drawing, 10 denotes a wall of a refrigerator car having the dooropening therein, the latter being closed by the two hinged doors 11 and12, the former being closed first and the latter closed last on accountof the arrangement of meeting beveled edges, as indicated at 13. r

The improved insulation is applied between the meeting edges of thedoors and also between each door post and corresponding door. Inasmuchas the insulation is the same for all places, it will only be necessaryto describe it for one. Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2, 3and 4, 14 designates a groove or channel extending longitudinally of themember to which the insulation is applied, said groove being relativelyshallow and having a plain, flat bottom. Bridging said groove is a layerof quilting or felt 15 which is tacked to the wood as by the tacks ornails 16. Outside of the quilting or felt is a layer of canvas or duck17 which is held by said nails 16 and also by outer additional series ofnails 18. The layers of fabric material are yieldingly supported by myimproved packing strip which, as shown, comprises a strip of sheet metalloosely placed in the groove 14: and having the edges thereof providedwith reversely extending curls 19 and 20. The plate is made of springmaterial so as to provide a yieldable support for the fabric and incross section, the supporting strip may be said to be of substantially Sshape. It will be noted from an examination of Figs. 2 and 3, that thefabric is supported along two parallel spaced lines as indicated at21'21 and the supporting strip also engages the bottom of the groovealong two parallel spaced lines, as indicated at 22-22. In this way, astrong but yielding support is supplied for the fabric along two spacedparallel lines which will insure keeping that portion of the fabricbetween the two lines of contact 21-21 stretched taut and preventformation of pockets in the fabric which might permit transmission ofair through the insulation. The normal condition of the spring strip isas shown in Fig. 2, that is, with portions of the strip extended outbeyond the face of the member in which the groove is provided. When thedoors are forced to closed position, it is apparent that the fabric willbe pressed down and the spring strip compressed, thus resulting in thecurled edges of the spring strip being decreased in diameter, asindicated in Fig. 3.

I claim:

An insulation for refrigerators and the like. which comprises, incombination, a member having a groove with a plain bottom extendinglongitudinally along one edge thereof, a layer of flexible materialbridging said groove, and a spring plate loosely mounted within saidspring plate being of substantially S-shape in cross section with eachedge curled, said curled edges being normally of such diametar as toeach have longitudinally extending Patented July 6, 1920.

groove, said I line bearing againstthe bottom of the groove andagainstthe flexible material to force the latter along two lines outwardlbeyond the edge of sald member, said our ed edges being compressible andthereby maintaining said line bearing contacts between the flexiblematerial and the spring plate and between the spring plate and thebottom of the groove.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I 10 have hereunto subscribedmyname thisi16th day of.Dec., 1916.

JOI-IJN'VF. OCONNOR.

